Improvement in reed musical instruments



E. P. NEEDHAM. REED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 78,536, Patented June2, 1868.

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' Lettm Pam No. 78,536, dated June 2,1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN REED MUSICAL INSTRUldI BNlTS.

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TO ALL'WVHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, P. Na annals, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Melodeons andother Reed Musical Instruments of similar character; and I do herehydsclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference heing had to the accompanying drawing, making aportion of this specification, which is avcrtical transverse section ofa melodeon constructed according to my invention.

This invention consists in making the front of-the exhauat-chambero fthe instrument of flexible material,

whereby the movement of the reed-boards is permitted without involvingany complication of parts or material increase in the expense ofconstruction. I I

To enable others to understand the construction andhperation of myinvention, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.

The portion of the exhaust-chamber of the instrument within which thereed-boards B are arranged, is shown at A, and may be of any appropriateform or construction, and furnishedwith reeds, a, placed, in the usualmanner, within the reed-openings b, providedat the front parts of theaforesaid boards. The reed-boards are attached, at their upper forwardedges, to rocksshafts 2;, the ends of which are pivoted at the ends ofthe exhaust-chamber, as shown in dotted outline in -t he drawi ng,-insuch manner as to vpermit a tilting or rising and falling movement ofthe back portions of the reed-hoards, the saidb'dards being,furthermore, pressed downward by springs, a. The front, a, of theexhaust-chamber A, is .formcd of sheet India-rubber or othei like Iflexible material, impervionsto air, and is attached to the rock-shaftsx,-as indicated at z, and also to the lower; front edge of thereed-hoards, as shown at a:*, the said front being, furthermore,-provided with openings at (11,

through which the wind is admitted to the reed-openings b. Shown at dare the valves over the rcedwpenings, the said valves being pivoted attheir forward "ends and cxtendin'g back beyond the rear edges of thereedhoards, through holes 6*, provided in bridg'e pieces' or strips asecured longitudinally upon the hack partsof the reed-boards, theaforesaid valves being pressed down to close the reed-openings bysprings f attached to the strips 6, just mentioned. Arranged, one behindeach vertical series of valves (Z, are lifting-rods g, connected; bypush-pins b, with the rear or inner ends of the keys C, and furnishedwith forwardly-projecting lugs c*, having vertical stems 1., which aresituated, one underneath the rcarwardly-oxtcnding end of one of thevalves d, insuoh manner that when the reed-hoards B are depressed, or intheir usual or normal position, the upward movement of the rod 9 willlift the valves of the'vertical series with which its stems i areconnected, as indi: cated in the drawing, such lifting of the valvesbeing, of course, pi'oduced 'hy the downward movement of the forward orouter portion of the keys C in playing. When the keys C are releasedfrom downward pressure they, together with their lifting-rods g,are'bmught to their original position by springs m, acting upon theirinner ends. Extending forward from the rock-shaft a: of each of the reedb'oards is an arm, a, connected by a rod, 1', with a lever, a, therearmost end of which is pivoted underneath the exhaust-chamber, asshown atff, in such manner as to be capable not only of a vertical, butof a lateral movement. Arranged atone side of each lever 0, upon thebottom of the exhaust-chamber, is a downwardly-extending projection,'11, the purpose of which will presently herein appear. v

.In using the melodeon, those of the reed-boards which it is desired tostopor mute" are tilted or raised at their back or rear portions, asshown in red outline in the figure, by depressing the levers s connectedthere-'- with, the said levers being then turned laterally and broughtunderneath the projections u, adjacent thereto, so that the levers sare, by this means, held in their depressed position, to retain thereed-boards, with which they are connected in their liftedcondition. Therear of each of the reed-boards to he muted being thus lifted, the hackends of the valves 11 thereof are brought out of 'reach of the adjacentstems i of the rods 9, so as not to he acted upon by the said stems whenthe rods 9 are raiscd in playing upon the instrument, as hercinlieforeexplained, so that by thus bringing the required reed-boards out of therange of operation of the valve-operating mechanism connected with thekeys of the instrument, the same may be Wanted" without any liability tothe impe f tion which, in the ordinary method of muting, frequentlyoccurs from the imperfect closing of the stop-valves employed to shutoff the wind from the reed-openings of the reed-boards; and,furthermore, the said reed-boards maybe thus muted by the performerwithmuch less labor and inconvenience than are required in i themanipulation of the valves just mentioned,'as hitherto employcd,'to stopthe passage of the wind through the reed-openiugs; while the front, 0,to which the front'edges of the reed-boards are attached, ashcreinbeforo e' pluined, being flexible, the requisite movement ofthereeddioards is permitted without any danger of disarrangin'g theparts, or involving any complication instrncture, or material increasein the cost of manufacture.

I do not confine myself to the particularsrran'gement of thereed-boards, or means of moving thcni out of range of thevalve-operatirlg mechanism in connection with the keys orplaying-devices; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, ls-

The flexible front, c, of the exhaust-chamber A, in combination with themovable reed-hoards, whereby the requisite movement of, the saidree'd-boards is allowed, substantially as herein set forth.

E. P. NEEDHAM. Witnesses:

HENRY T. BROWN,

J. W; Cooims.

